Evaluating Peer-Led Team Learning Integrated into Online Instruction in Promoting General Chemistry Student Success

Abstract

This study seeks to examine the effectiveness of peer-led team learning (PLTL) pedagogy when it is implemented in an entirely online environment. Past evaluations of PLTL have demonstrated the effectiveness of this approach when used with in-person teaching, but an online environment is expected to pose unique challenges to students, and therefore, the past work may not generalize to an online environment. The study implemented PLTL within four classes of second-semester general chemistry each offered online. The classes were evaluated in reference to six classes of the same course, also taught exclusively online, that relied primarily on didactic instruction. The evaluation showed the average score for students with online PLTL ranged from 0.15 to 0.20 standard deviations better than students with online didactic across the tests and final exams and that this difference was partially explained by past performance. Further, online PLTL students had a higher likelihood of earning a passing grade in the class which corresponded with a lower proportion of students failing and a lower proportion of students withdrawing from the course. The results indicate that PLTL was an effective instructional technique within an online modality at the research setting.